Transactional advertising network provider Adgregate Markets, a finalist at the 2008 TechCrunch50 conference Adgregate Markets has struck a monumental deal with NBC Universal to power the media conglomerate’s mobile commerce ad campaign.
Adgregate’s ShopAds enables customers to shop and complete secure transactions within Flash-based ad banners. The mobile version of these ads are similar. NBC is using ShopAds to advertise, publicize and sell the DVD release of movie Inglourious Basterds within rich media ad-units on mobile devices. Greystripe, which recently got an $2 million infusion from NBC Universal, will include the branded ShopAds on its rich-media mobile ad network.
The idea of bringing together shopping and advertising on mobile phones is compelling considering that rise in e-commerce on mobile devices. According to a Deloitte report addressing mobile shopping, one in five shoppers plan on using a mobile phone to assist with holiday purchases, from researching prices and other product information to actually buying presents. There seems to be a huge opportunity for the crossroads of both retail and advertising platforms.
The deal with NBC is a big coup for the year-old startup. Adgregate Markets has seen a good amount of growth since it’s launch last year; recently acquiring widget business Gydget and scoring a deal with distribution deal with Google’s DoubleClick, enabling advertisers on that platform to integrate ShopAds widgets with just a few mouse-clicks. The startup also recently launched its own shopping cart platform, ShopCloud.